Page 73 of Knight With Benefits

Iwalked in a bubble, not even realizing where I was until I couldn’t go any farther because I stood in front of my closed door. I knew it was foolish not to stay aware of my surroundings, but I just couldn’t seem to shake the numbness that had invaded my body when I saw the words scrawled on the wall of the café.

Whore.

Animal fucker.

Betrayer.

The last hurt the worst for some reason. I’d never betrayed anyone, but I’d sure been on the receiving end.

Had Adam been there when it was done? Had he been the one to leave the vileness behind when they couldn’t find me?

My breath caught as my throat closed around the pain of thinking my son had been involved in defacing my dream. I honestly didn’t care what they thought of me, and they could have done worse to my café than spray paint the outer walls, but it hurt to think my son would do such a thing.

And I wasn’t under any delusion that they had kept the damage to a minimum for anything other than saving the cost to themselves, since I was certain they still thought they’d be taking it from me. Even if they planned to do nothing more than resell the building, they wouldn’t want to do anything that would cost too much to repair.

How long would it be?

The not knowing was the worst part. The waiting and watching over my shoulder. It was only a matter of time before they showed up to collect their wayward omega. Being at the store was all that had saved me from being taken, I was certain of it. If I had been at the café, or even at home, I had no doubt all my plans for the future would be gone.

Would they force me right away, or would they wait until my heat made me pliant?

What if they didn’t plan to give me to another alpha to claim, but pass me around between the unmated?

My hands clenched, the prick of my fingernails digging into my palms grounding me.

Never.

I was done being a servant to people who cared nothing for me. Whether I was given to one, or shared, my life would be so much worse than it had been with Anthony, and after having this small taste of freedom, I couldn’t survive another day like that.

I was still standing in front of my door, staring at it as if I’d forgotten how to turn a knob, but I didn’t want to go inside. Even if my son and the others he’d told hadn’t come to my home, it still felt like it had been violated. It had my name on it, and if they’d found the café, I couldn’t believe they hadn’t found it too. The duplex wasn’t safe.

Sucking in a deep breath, I made a decision. If I was going to start over, to truly take charge of my life and live it the way I wanted, I needed to stop wasting time and letting fear dictate my actions. There was no way for me to know what my future held, but I was ready to fight for what I wanted it to have.

I turned around, ready to walk back to The Hangout, until I spotted a shadow moving across the street. My heart leaped into my throat, adrenaline flooding my system even as my body frozen in place.

The movement stopped, and I stared at the place I’d seen it for so long I was starting to get lightheaded before the shadow stepped forward and materialized into the shape of what could only be a shifter alpha. It was too massive to be any of the Purists, but it wasn’t quite as broad across the shoulders as Carl, so my heart still refused to drop back down into my chest.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, Carl just wanted to be sure you got home safe.”

Muscles loosening, warmth spread through me as I finally released the breath I’d held. As the alpha approached the opposite edge of the street I could see him better, and I vaguely recognized the pale blond as a regular at The Hangout, and if I hadn’t, the vest he wore left no confusion as to why he would be following me. The tiny part of me who’d been holding onto my independence with a grip set to strangle me protested being followed without permission, but the bigger part, the newer, smarter part, was glad someone cared.

“Thank you, but I think I’m going to go back. I’d rather be with him.”

I had no idea if it was the threat of the Purists coming to the house, or if it had happened before that, but I realized my words were true. There was a greater pull to Carl than there was to the nest behind me, my instincts tell me that home was where my alpha was. If he wasn’t here, I didn’t want to be either.

Because Carlwasmy alpha.

I’d fought it despite the draw I’d felt to him from the beginning, but there was no denying it. Every part of me yearned for him, missed him when he wasn’t there, and wanted him in ways I’d never wanted any other. Where I’d hated Anthony’s intrusion into my inner self, I craved the connection to Carl.

The alpha across the street studied me as I closed the distance between us, seeming to debate over trying to stop me, before shrugging when I reached his side. “Okay,” was all he said, stepping aside. It still felt wrong to be close to an alpha who wasn’t Carl, but there wasn’t the same gut-churning fear I’d had before as the stranger paced beside me.

Oddly relaxed despite the events of the night, my mind wandered as we made our way up the street toward The Hangout. I knew Carl would be disgruntled at my return, but I was ready to deal with him, so there was nothing to occupy my thoughts until I was standing before my bear of an alpha.

I eyed the man next to me, envying the easy way he moved and the poise he possessed. If I remembered correctly, he was one of the quieter guys, and he gave off a refined air that was at odds with the leather and the fact that he rode a motorcycle. If I had seen him without the vest in a different area of the city, I’d have guess he was someone of importance, used to being obeyed without question, but without the menacing vibe some men with power gave off.

“We haven’t been introduced. I’m Gwyn. I’m opening a café next to The Hangout.”

His attention swung to me and for a moment I was distracted by how pale his eyes were. I’d never seen anything like them before, and a shiver rolled down my spine as I wondered if it had something to do with his animal and what it might be. Carl had said it wasn’t offensive to ask, but I wasn’t sure I was ready for what this alpha’s answer might be.

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